Thursday, February 19, 2009

Philosophy 118: 04 February, 2009

These notes were taken from my class with Dr. Reyes for Philosophy 118 last 04 February

.:The Limited Description:.

While everything starts from consciousness, this is not to say that this is purely a Cartesian system. Rather, this is a transcendental consciousness.

There is no being-in-itself. There is only conscious being. Man, as being, is conscious of the self, conscious of the other, and conscious of the world. Despite this, one can see that there is more than a merely material difference between an object and another person. If anything, there is a phenomenological difference that is inextricable to any man who honestly attempts to look at the difference.

The Phenomenological approach finds a lot of strength in that it is grounded in experience rather than mere theory. Despite that, at some point, theorizing becomes a necessity, for instance, in the case of explaining the phenomenology of death. At this point, one realizes that it does not begin with the consciousness, but with the consciousness of the other.

Thus, the world we form is not a world we constitute through our ego, but one that we co-constitute, in reality. It is a historical, cultural consciousness.

.:The Lebensveldt:.

As a lifeworld, phenomenological experience is not merely a solipsistic endeavor, but instead, dialogical, and even hermeneutical.

As such, phenomenology is, at best, a cultural critique of a phenomenon that is already in place.

.:Quotable Quotes:.

“Some men have stared at me, as if divesting me of my clothes.”

- Dr. Reyes, much more fun when quoted without context

.:The Gran Torino?:.

If you've seen the film known as “Gran Torino”, you would understand what it means to have a “consciousness of the other”, vis-a-vis being trapped in your own Cartesian world of solipsism. I'd wax on and on about this some more, but I just suggest you watch the film so I don't spoil anything for you.